A conventional print control apparatus can set a print order such as “name order”, “date & time order”, “selection order”, and the like upon printing data files such as image data and the like (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-56937).
When data to be printed are selected from data files distributed in a plurality of folders, the print order is applied to all selected images irrespective of the folders that store the selected images.
FIG. 17 illustrates an example of folders in a hard disk (HDD) of a computer and image files included in these folders. In the HDD, an “A” folder 11001, “B” folder 11002, and “C” folder 11003 are assured, and store image files which are classified in correspondence with the types of objects. In FIG. 17, the “A” folder 11001 stores four files associated with “child” including an image file 11004 with a file name “IMG—0003.jpg”. Likewise, the “B” folder 11002 stores image files associated with “pet dog”, and the “C” folder 11003 stores image files associated with “pet cat”. Individual image files have various file names and photographing dates and times.
Upon selecting and printing all images of these folders, the print order is applied to all the images in the conventional method. For example, when index print is made in the “name order”, images are printed, as shown in FIG. 18. Even though image files are classified in correspondence with the types of objects, images are printed while they are mixed.